In a modern office environment it is common for there to be provided a network comprising a plurality of computer workstations which are linked to one or more printers via a central print server. The print server is adapted to receive inputs from each of the workstations and to forward such inputs as outputs to the one or more printers. In effect the print server acts as a hub through which the workstations must communicate in order to print a document.
Taking as an example an operator using a workstation to type a document using word processing software, once the document has been completed the operator instructs the software to print the document. This is typically achieved by selecting a print command from a menu or desktop icon. The workstation then generates a datastream representing the completed document which is sent to the print server via the network. The print server then forwards the datastream to a printer whereupon it is printed in the form in which it was represented upon the screen of the workstation. When more than one of the workstations is in use and a plurality of operators are typing and wishing to print documents, the print server holds the incoming datastreams in a queue before sending them in an ordered manner to the or each printer.
Printers of the type currently in use are operable to print documents in range of print formats and in a range of print qualities. The print formats may range from a Draft format having toner or ink saving capabilities and intended to be used for proof reading purposes, to a Final Letter format having a much greater resolution and intended, for example, to be sent to a client. Typically the printer may also be operable to print on one or both sides of a sheet of paper, operations referred to as simplex or duplex respectively, and to print more than one page of a document on one side of a sheet of paper. This latter operation involves the printer reducing the size of a page and, depending upon how many pages are printed on a side, referred to as 2-UP (2 pages), 4-UP (4 pages) etc. It is also typical for a printer to have a plurality of paper trays having therein paper of different qualities, for example copy for draft documents and bond for letter quality documents. Finally, a printer may be provided with a plurality of different coloured inks which enable it to print documents in colour. It will thus be appreciated that the or each printer is able to print documents in a wide variety of different styles or qualities.
Selecting which of the options referred to above should be enabled for a specific document can usually be done in one of two ways. Firstly, a workstation operator may, prior to printing a document, access a print properties menu provided in the word processing software. The menu allows the operator to specify the intended format and quality of the finished document. When instructing the word processing software to print the document, commands corresponding to the format and quality are included in the datastream. When the datastream reaches a printer, the commands alter the printer settings so that the document is printed in the format specified by the operator. Alternatively the printer settings can be set manually as typically a printer is provided with an exterior control panel which an operator can utilise to change the printer settings.
Printer consumables, for example paper and ink and toner cartridges are expensive and any wastage thereof represents a monetary loss to a company. Additionally, companies which deal in commercially sensitive information are required to have waste paper disposed of in a confidential manner, for example by shredding, which again is an expense.
The workstation/print server/printer arrangement described above has the drawback in that it does not enable the printers to be operated in the most cost effective manner and is conducive to unnecessary wastage of printer consumables. The root causes for this may be many. For example it is unlikely that a workstation operator will set out to print a document in the most cost effective manner. The operator may not fully comprehend the capabilities of a given printer nor may they be aware of the multitude of user specific options available in the print properties menu of a word processing package. Alternatively time pressures may preclude an operator from selecting the optimum configuration and format for a given document. The use of the control panel on a printer may not be possible due to the distance between a workstation and the printer. Even when an operator has taken the opportunity to specify a cost effective format for a document there may still be problems. For example, an operator may specify that a document should be printed on copy paper and send the print command to the print server, however the copy paper tray of the printer may be empty. In such a circumstance the printer may default to another of its paper trays and print the document on more expensive bond paper.
Advances in computer technology have made the phenomenon of “hot desking” increasingly popular in an office environment. Typically a plurality of workstations are arranged in a network. The network may be a Local Area Network (LAN), for example within a single office building, or a Wide Area Network (WAN), for example linking LANs at different locations within an organisation. Each workstation and output device in the network has a unique address, and each user a unique ID and password. Each user has a nominal “home” workstation where it is expected they will carry out the majority of their work.
When a user moves to a different workstation on the network they log in using their ID and password. A central registry within the network is interrogated and the user's profile and accompanying files are found and delivered to the workstation wherein the user has logged on.
Currently, once all the user's files have been delivered to the workstation, the network maintains the original associations for output devices, for example printers. This has the effect of sending any print requested by a user to the “home” or default printers which may be on a different floor or in a different building, country or even continent.